Selling the Congo : a history of European pro-empire propaganda and the making of Belgian imperialism /

While historical memories of colonialism and pro-imperial propaganda have a rich literature in a range of European countries, few historians have explored similar themes in 20th-century Belgium history. Stanard (Berry College) provides a welcome corrective to this gap in the literature. He convincingly demonstrates how both government authorities and private individuals constructed narratives that silenced Congolese perspectives and celebrated the notorious early years of Leopold II's rule over the Congo as a period of heroic progress. In colonial propaganda, the Congo colony served as a means of uniting a Belgian nation deeply divided by language. The Belgian government proved much more determined to control the flow of information from the colony to the metropole than most other European colonial powers, to the point that very few Congolese had lived in Belgium prior to the 1950s. One sign of the success of proponents of Belgian rule at home was how many Belgians took their propaganda at face value well after independence in 1960. An excellent contribution to the growing literature on the European advocacy of colonialism in the 20th century. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. M. Rich Marywood University